InHALE and ExHALE
by Snarling-Stilinski
Summary: Scott decides that the best way to start off his summer vacation is to get away with Allison for two weeks, leaving Stiles to cancel his plans of spending time with his best friend. Everyone that Stiles knows is busy or uninterested in spending time with him, leaving him with one person left, someone he honestly doesn't want to spend time with, Derek.


Full summary: Scott decides that the best way to start off his summer vacation is to get away with Allison for two weeks, leaving Stiles to cancel his plans of spending time with his best friend. Everyone that Stiles knows is busy or uninterested in spending time with him, leaving him with one person left, someone he honestly doesn't want to spend time with, Derek. He's spent years convincing himself that he hates Derek and just when he thought he'd managed to buy his own lie, he finds hiding his hate for the guy is a lot harder than he thought. With two weeks to spend with Derek, or die from boredom, he decides it wouldn't be too bad to try to sneak a peek at the personal side of the wolf, one he's sure no one has ever seen. He finds himself with mixed feelings when Derek admits he feels the same way

* * *

"Well what the heck do you expect me to do for two weeks?" Stiles moaned. He sat cross legged on Scott's bed toying with the strings on his friend's lacrosse stick.

Scott was bent over rummaging through his drawers, momentarily ignoring the whining voice. He grabbed a handful of t-shirts and tossed them across the room, landing them sloppily in a small suitcase opened beside Stiles' knee. He sighed, "I don't know, Stiles. You'll have plenty to do." He was more so focused on packing rather than playing a debating game with his friend.

"Why are you going out with Allison anyways? You see her here all the time," Stiles argued. His voice was muffled as he used his teeth to tighten a knot in the netting of the lacrosse stick.

Scott opened another drawer and bent over it. "Yeah, but we could use time to ourselves, 'ya know?" He tossed a few pairs of jeans into the suitcase and shut the drawer.

"Time to your-" a box flew at Stiles and nearly hit him in the head before he managed to catch it, "whoa! Oh, oh!" He shook the box of condoms at Scott, "time to yourselves. Got 'cha." He smiled smoothly with a wink and flung it into the suitcase.

Scott laughed, "Trust me, Stiles, you'll find plenty to do. It's summer break."

Another groan escaped his mouth as he flung his back to the mattress.

"Stiles," Scott started.

"Yeah, go on," Stiles interrupted, "have a great time, but not too great," he sat up and winked, "I have plenty of friends I can hang out with. Lets see, there's Danny," his voice broke off into a mumble, "who I'm pretty sure secretly hates me." He cleared his throat and spoke louder again. "There's Lydia," he lowered his voice once more, "who is planning to be with Jackson the next few weeks." And again a leveled voice, "There's that kid on the lacrosse team who-" he sighed, "never mind I don't even know his name. Scott who am I kidding, who do I have besides you?" He whined again.

Scott shrugged, and walked to the bed to straighten up his suitcase, "Try Derek," he suggested.

"Derek." Stiles said in a drone tone, "I'd rather inhumanely maim myself then spend these two weeks with him." His voice was exaggerated to stress to Scott how important it was for him to stay. Scott leaving could cost Stiles the first couple of weeks of summer break. The summer break that he promised he'd cut loose, go a bit wild, and avoid the common near-death experiences and just enjoy good one-on-one best friend time, like they used to during the summers.

"It's only two weeks, Stiles!" Scott reminded him again. "Just try making better friends with Derek. Or don't, I don't care, I don't have time to make plans for the both of us."

"Fine," Stiles dragged out the word with a low moan again, dropping his head to Scott's mattress and tossing a pillow over his face.

He didn't want to hang out with Derek, he didn't want to make "better friends" with him, he didn't even want to be remotely close to Derek. For specific reasons that he refused to admit to himself or anyone else.

"You sure you don't want to pack me into your suitcase?" His voice was nearly blocked by the pillow.

Scott laughed in response.

"No, I'm serious," Stiles said moving the pillow from his face and sitting up again. "I'm pretty flexible, watch." He tried bringing his foot behind his head, sticking his tongue out in concentration.

"Stiles!" Scott laughed, "You are not flexible! Stop it, you'll get yourself stuck like that." He closed his suitcase and zipped it shut. "Again." He huffed a laugh at the memory from years ago when Stiles panicked from being stuck in the position.

Stiles grinned and lowered his leg.

"Here," Scott said, "come walk with me to wait for Allison." He lifted the suitcase and started for the door. "Will you really miss me that much?"

Stiles jumped up from the bed and followed right behind his friend, "Are you kidding, I won't be able to sleep a wink without you!" He huffed a laugh and slapped a firm hand on Scott's back as they walked out of the door.

Stiles lay on his bed, back down flat on the mattress and legs in the air with feet tapping against the wall. He hummed absentmindedly to music softly playing from the speakers in his computer and he flipped through one of his old comic books, skimming the pages while not necessarily reading it. His window blinds were cracked slightly, allowing a bit of early afternoon sunlight into the room but not enough that he'd be reminded there's still a whole day ahead of him with no plans. Of course he had a life without Scott, it's just been a while since the last time he'd visited it. He could get it going again, he just needed a minute or two to adjust. Okay, a day or two.

A knock came from the door and he turned his head, looking upside down at his father, "I'm heading to work," Mr. Stilinski said quietly.

"Okay."

"I love you."

"I love you too," Stiles said, looking back to the pictures in the comic book.

"And, uh, Stiles?" His dad asked before turning away, "Please go out. You're worrying me, it's been two days since you've left the house, heck you've hardly left your room, it's summer break, make something of it, please?"

Stiles sighed once his dad had left.

He figured his dad was right. Besides, just because he was missing his "second half", as his dad had referred to Scott, didn't mean his life should be put on hold. He thought about what Scott had said, about hanging out with Derek, could he do that? He wasn't afraid of Derek anymore, actually he never was afraid, more so intimidated or worried of what his own heartbeat did every time he caught the guy's eye. He assumed his heart would race or sometimes trip all over itself because he knew Derek was on the police "most wanted" list and then later found out the man grew fur and shiny white fangs on full moons. But after getting to know Derek a little better, researching his history involving his family and even helping and working with the guy, he knew for sure he wasn't afraid, but he couldn't get his heart beat to stop going nuts. In some ways he grew rather fond of the wolf. He liked his "big bad alpha" attitude, his strict face, and his sarcastic remarks. It made him interesting. Stiles wanted to figure him out, look past the shield he always had held up, he wanted to get closer. Every time he was with Derek, his heart continued to act up and he couldn't stop it. He grew irritated and decided he should try distancing himself, maybe even lie to himself and pretend he hated Derek, just incase his heart got any wild ideas that his brain would comply to.

Stiles spent the whole drive to Derek's loft telling himself how stupid the idea was. Spending time alone with Derek, in any context, was one thing he'd always thought he'd honestly enjoy, but he'd never let anyone know that. Hell, he hardly let himself know that. His heart beat faster once he'd walked up to the door and he knew he had to lower it before knocking, even though he'd bet that Derek could already hear it pattering away. At least he was great at hiding his internal feelings, even from a werewolf, he hoped. After a confident knock Derek opened the door. He looked a bit surprised. Apparently guests at his door wasn't the norm.

"Stiles?" The sound of Derek saying his name made his heart pound against his rib cage. It's not like he hasn't heard Derek say his name before, he's heard it plenty of times, his internal reaction was just something he'd never been able to really control. He hated that.

He kept a cool demeanor. "Derek," he greeted and grinned when Derek had stepped aside to allow him by.

Stiles led himself into the familiar large room. It still bothered him how the room was set up, all Derek currently owned was a couch, a bed and a desk that was awkwardly placed in odd locations. Derek had been living here long enough to at least care about its appearance, but Stiles had always assumed the alpha would never settle down in a place nice enough to call a home. But it's probably the strategic thing to do, knowing hunters and other creatures will always be after you and will destroy your home if need be. Derek probably wasn't emotionally ready to see another home of his burn to the ground. He glanced to the giant hole in the wall wondering quietly to himself if Derek would ever plan to at least get that fixed up, when his thoughts were interrupted.

"What're you doing here?" Derek followed behind Stiles with brows pulled together making his face look almost unwelcoming.

"Just paying a visit, I guess," Stiles shrugged as if paying Derek a visit was a regular thing for him.

"Nothing's wrong? Where's Scott? What's that?" He looked to Stiles' arm that was held drawn across his chest.

Stiles chuckled, "What are you interrogating me now? Calm down." He smiled playfully, "Nothing's wrong, Scott's vacationing with Allison and it's an ACT study book, see?" He held out the book for Derek see.

Derek slowly nodded then raised a suspicious eyebrow, "So you came here," he paused slightly, "to study?" He crossed his arms.

"Look," Stiles began with a sigh, "I needed to get out of the house to at least pretend I have some sort of life, and-"

Derek cut him off, "And do you have a life?" He hardly grinned.

Stiles felt the grin wasn't to be taken warmly, and the question was to be taken rhetorically. He crossed his arms, "Okay, lets be honest here, I know you don't like me-"

Derek looked as if the news was new to him but let Stiles continue anyways.

"but unless you plan to literally throw me out, I plan on staying. For at least an hour." He stated mater of factly. "Look, I'll even keep to myself and go sit on the couch over here and you can go continue whatever it is you do during the day."

Derek continued to stare at Stiles with his arms crossed and a slight grin pricking at the corners of his lips, as of he were amused by the demanding request from Stiles. He huffed a laugh and shook his head, "Are you serious?"

"Yes, I'm serious," Stiles said. He moved himself to the couch, tossing his book down and sat beside it.

Derek looked as if he were considering literally throwing the teen out, but instead he placed his head in his hand and chuckled again.

"What do you do during the day anyways?" Stiles asked looking around the practically empty room.

Derek sighed and walked off to the far corner, where he lowered himself into the push-up position and held himself up with one arm then lowered his body, repeating the action.

Stiles inwardly grinned to himself from the couch. Opened his ACT book and pretended to read the pages while slyly looking to Derek who began to slightly sweat.

Stiles lay back comfortably on the couch. He did manage to get some of his book read but for the most part he couldn't get his brain to collect and retain the information. He still watched unnoticed as Derek did his push-ups and moved on to other work outs, some of which he didn't even know were anatomically possible to do. He even tried taking mental notes on what exactly Derek was doing, thinking that maybe later on he could try to do some at home to tone up his own body, only to find himself internally laughing for thinking he'd go through with working out.

Derek finished his exercises and moved to his bed without saying a word to Stiles. Although, Stiles could've sworn he saw Derek's eyes glance his way. He had watched as Derek pulled a book from under the mattress and begun reading.

"Is that a bestiary?" Stiles asked curiously, closing his own book and setting it down.

Derek looked up without moving his head. Maybe he was always cranky after a workout. He shook his head and looked to a clock hanging on the wall, one Stiles had never noticed before, "It's been an hour," He said. Implying that it was time for Stiles to go home.

Stiles sighed, "Fine, I'm out." He stood and picked up his book, mumbling under his breath, "Sourwolf."

Later that night Stiles walked through his front door and was greeted by his dad who sat watching TV on the couch.

"You're home pretty early," Stiles grinned.

His dad turned down the volume with the remote. "Yeah, just for a little while." He turned to face his son, "I see you found someone to hang out with then?" Hope filled his voice, "Who were you with?"

"Some kid on the lacrosse team," he replied with a nonchalant shrug.

His dad grinned, happy that his son was out with other friends for a change. "What's his name?"

Stiles shook his head and mumbled behind a laugh, "I don't even know," before turning and walking up the stairs to his room.

The next morning Stiles found himself struggling with the idea of spending time at Derek's again. On one hand, he could show his dad that he does in fact have a life, and on the other, he wanted to stay away from Derek. Or rather he wanted to be near Derek. He couldn't quite decide. But when Stiles appeared knocking away at the door, Derek still looked a little surprised. Again he moved aside and let Stiles shuffle on in and lead himself to the couch where he plopped down with a content sigh.

"Did you forget something?" Derek asked. He tried not to sound too rude, but he was pretty sure he failed.

"You don't get guests often, do you?" Stiles chuckled.

Derek opened his mouth with a defensive furrowed brow but was cut off from saying anything once Stiles began to speak again.

"I didn't forget anything, I just needed to leave the house again and unfortunately you're the only one I could pay a visit. Proves I need to get out more, huh?" He said rhetorically.

Derek stood looking down at the boy with a blank gaze. He'd never really before paid attention to the boy's hair. But now as the sun hit it, he found eyes drawn to it. Strands of all sizes swooped up above his forehead in messy bunches with some smaller pieces falling in directions opposite of the rest, giving him a look that gave the impression that he had just woken up. But he pulled it off nicely. The orange lighting that shone through the window panes reflected along the strands, making some show anything from a creamy brown or a burnt amber to the darker shades, like charcoal or hardened hazelnut. Derek was rather intrigued by the colors, the softness of them all blended together and the gentle appearance it gave the teen. "Is this going to be a daily routine while Scott's out?" He didn't sound neither pleased nor bothered, but his face was molded almost into a glare. "You could start that getting out more thing now," Derek suggested. "Go on, go make some friends and leave me alone."

Stiles almost liked being at Derek's. It was company without the awkward attempts of entertaining. He could be with Derek while doing his own thing, which was nice. Although Derek's attitude could become pretty wearing, he'd found himself at times wishing he could be involved in whatever the guy was doing, but he wouldn't let anyone know that. "It's alright." Stiles shrugged, "I can keep myself trained to the couch again and stay out of the way." He didn't sound thrilled but his voice was promising.

"Stiles," Derek started. He was going to tell the boy that he wasn't limited only to the couch and that he was free to move around if he'd please, but he kept quiet. "Never mind," he grumbled.

"Besides, I'm not the only who needs to get out more. Look at you! You're always locked away in this place, probably sulking to yourself or who knows what. You could get out more, maybe get a casual job or join a club." By now the boy was ranting, "Oh! You know, with your tough guy glare and all your leather, I'm sure you could join a motorcycle gang, wouldn't that be fun?" He nodded and grinned.

"Stiles?" Derek grumbled.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up. Before I make you leave."

"Fine."

Derek was pleased with his achievement in getting his silence back, but he still couldn't shake the boys voice from his head. He didn't get it. It was silent, he couldn't hear the gibber gabber of the teen anymore but the voice still rung in his head. Like a catchy song. Stiles had one of those voices that was easily soothing. Derek could listen to him talk for hours and sometimes he'd felt like he had. He didn't know what it was about the kid that was so interesting. The voice, the stupid swoop of his hair, the creamy brown eyes, or maybe the defined curve of his thin lips. Derek gritted his teeth to stop the thoughts and sulked off to devote some time to his workouts.

That night when Stiles went home he ran into his dad again. His dad stood in the kitchen scrubbing away at dirty dishes in the sink. "Hey," he greeted and offered a grin.

"Hi dad," Stiles smiled back.

Mr. Stilinski shut the water off and turned towards his son. "What'd you do today?"

Stiles shrugged, "I just hung with a few kids from school." He felt bad for lying to his dad and he felt even worse that it'd become a habit. There were sadly just some things he couldn't let his dad know. Like the fact that he was hanging out with the man that his dad was once after for being accused of murder. Or the fact that said man happened to be a werewolf.

"Stiles," his dad started. "Please tell me you aren't one of those people suffering from separation anxiety and just drive your car down the street and sit there parked for hours and pretend you're out doing something productive." He sighed, hoping that wasn't the case.

"Trust me dad, I'm okay." He promised.

The next day Stiles again found himself on the couch. He lay silently staring up the ceiling and playing with strands of his hair. His stomach growled and he jumped from his seat, fishing his car keys from his pocket.

"Where're you going?" Derek asked, looking up from his workout.

The question caught Stiles a little bit off guard with Derek being the one who threatened to throw him out every day he's been over, but he pretended to think that Derek cared for the company. "To get some food, I'm starving." He opened the door and slipped through without waiting for a reply from Derek.

Stiles returned with a half eaten hamburger in his hand and a fast food bag tucked under his arm. He happily chewed and walked towards his spot on the couch and set the bag down on the cushions. He looked up to find Derek standing behind the desk watching him with a fixed glare. "Oh!" Stiles said before swallowing his bite, "I'm sorry, I should've gotten you something." He shoved his hand into the pocket of his hoodie, "Here, I picked this up," he tossed an individually wrapped Milk Bone onto the desk before Derek with a smirk drawn across his lips. "And since you're the alpha I made sure to get the extra large one."

Derek continued his glare. He'd laugh if he thought it were funny, but throughout his life he's heard his fair share of the dog jokes. He looked down to the treat and then back to Stiles with a threatening sharpness to his jawline.

"I've got some fries still," Stiles said. He moved to the couch, fishing some from the bag. He held one over Derek's head, "Sit boy! Come on, sit!"

Derek's expression hadn't changed.

"Okay, okay. Would you like me to go get you something else? A coffee? Snack?" Stiles gave in and figured he'd at least offer.

"No," Derek said. "Thank you."

"Good manners boy!" Stiles said in a tone that sounded like he were talking to a puppy. He reached across the desk and snatched the treat before returning it to his pocket with a laugh.

Derek flashed his eyes red to threaten Stiles. Of course he meant it teasingly, but he had no intention of letting him know that.

"Sorry," Stiles quickly apologized as he backed off to his seat again. "I'm done." He moved on to different thoughts. "Do you know you picked the worst place to live, location wise? There's not one good place for food for at least a couple miles!"

Derek rolled his eyes and fixed them on the boy again. His glare was gone and his face was softer, as if he were almost amused by the boys humor.

Stiles stayed on the couch for several hours listening to his iPod. He twisted and turned in dozens of different positions and kept his feet tapping quietly to keep himself momentarily entertained.

Derek sat on his bed with a book opened up in his hands. He found it hard to concentrate due to the shaking of Stiles' feet and the humming noises vibrating in his throat. He closed his book and sighed. He felt obligated to say something. Anything, really. He'd be raised with manners and his mother had always set the good example of being kind to guests. She would almost become annoying with her frequent questions like, "are you doing okay?", "can I get something?", "seriously, if you need anything just holler." and so on so forth. She would always make sure the company they had was kept entertained and never dared leave them to be uncomfortable or bored. Unlike Derek, who's company was now laying upside down and loudly humming to himself, patting his knees as if they were a drum set.

"Stiles," Derek said from his bed. The teen continued his rock session, now bouncing his head around to let his hair beat against his forehead. "Stiles." He'd tried a little louder. No answer. He rolled his eyes. "Stiles!" He shouted, and once again he wasn't heard. He grunted and lifted himself from the bed and shuffled over to the couch.

Stiles' eyes were closed and he lightly bounced his head, keeping a beat that moved along perfectly with the tapping of his foot. Derek moved to stand directly above the boy and watched amused as he noticed the lip syncing and dramatic facial expressions he made. He lowered his hand and tapped Stiles' forehead with his index finger.

Stiles froze and opened his eyes quickly, jerking to sit upright as he ripped out his headphones. "Derek, hi!" His face flushed.

"Would you like some water?" As soon as he said it he felt like a fool, he wasn't really the catering type of guy. 'Good job, Der.' He told himself.

Stiles lifted a brow, "Yeah, sure." A grin was painted across his face.

Derek walked to the far side of the room and opened his refrigerator. The inside was practically empty, maybe a few cans of beer, some lunch meat and a half dozen bottles of water. Clearly he had to go shopping again, which he preferred to do in small trips. He grabbed two water bottles and shut the door with his foot.

He tossed the bottle and Stiles caught it. "Thanks."

Derek nodded in response and twisted the cap off his before pressing it to his lips. He sat on the far end of the couch, leaving plenty of space between himself and Stiles. "What're you jamming to over there?"

"Oh," Stiles' cheeks were still pink. "Just some music," he lifted his iPod up and jiggled it with his fingers.

Derek stared blankly for a good moment, before tossing in, "thank you, captain obvious." He leaned back against the cushion, "What kind of music?"

"Just some alternative rock," Stiles replied. "Good music to jam to." He grinned and nodded.

Derek chuckled. "Apparently so."

"Do you listen to any music?" Stiles asked.

Derek raised a brow, "Stiles, just because I'm a werewolf does not mean I'm deprived of all things human."

Stiles grinned, "What's your favorite song? Who Let the Dogs Out?" He couldn't help but to laugh at himself.

"Ha ha." Derek rolled his eyes.

"You never did answer my question," Stiles started. "Is that a bestiary?" He nodded his head towards Derek's bed where the book with blank covers rested.

"No?" Derek lifted a brow, "It's a novel."

Stiles looked surprised. "You read?" His face nearly looked disgusted. "Like actually read? Normal things?"

Derek again grew frustrated by the implication that he was far off from anyone normal. He decided against bashing Stiles' head into the closest solid surface and muttered a mere, "Yes."

Stiles still looked unconvinced. "What is it then? What do you read?"

"Old books. The classics." Derek admitted. "And all you read are your school textbooks, right?"

"Unfortunately," Stiles grumbled as he was reminded of school. His voice pitched to a happier tone, "I actually like reading comic books. You know, action packed superhero stuff. I love 'em." He grinned to himself. "And what do you mean classics? Like Shakespeare or those old fashioned romance novels?" He snickered.

Derek shot the boy a glare. "Shakespeare is okay. To be honest, I prefer the romance novels."

Stiles laughed histarically. "You like romance novels? You can't be romantic yourself so you feed off the love of fictional people?" He teased.

Derek growled under his breath. "Shouldn't you be heading home now?"

Stiles rolled his eyes. "Why are you always so persistent with trying to get rid of me?"

Derek didn't answer. He didn't owe any explanation although he has his reasons. His glare was trained to Stiles' eyes until the boy stood up and walked to the door.

"Good night," Stiles called. "Remember to sleep on the right side of the bed tonight." He winked and pulled the door tightly shut behind him.

Derek knew he could be a romantic person. Better than Stiles could, he was sure. At least he's been laid before. He almost felt guilty for always making the boy leave. He reminded himself that it was his house and therefore his rules but he still felt he was being a bit unfair. He just knew he couldn't get close to Stiles, or rather he didn't want to. The decided phrase was that he wanted to but was afraid to. It was dangerous for himself as well as the teen.

Stiles said goodnight to his father and went up to bed. Before he managed to fall asleep his mind unintentionally trailed to Derek. With the flash of Derek doing his push ups, and the vivid reminder of the definition in his muscles, Stiles groaned. "I hate Derek." He whispered quietly and rubbed his fingers on his forehead. "I hate Derek, I hate Derek, I hate Derek". Maybe saying it aloud several times would convince his mind. He sighed, "I want to hate Derek." That's when he realized how little he knew about the guy. Or rather who he really was and pretended not be. All he knows is the sharp jaw and clenched teeth, the furrowed brows and death glares, the forced sighs and the eye rolls. He knew there was another side to the man, heck he read romance stories! He knew there was a sweet Derek and his goal was to find it. He had to find what it was about Derek that caught his attention.

"Come on man, this is boring as hell!" Stiles complained. Although he'd just only arrived at Derek's, he knew he'd be bored. He's spent the past few days sitting on the couch and today he decided to do differently.

"Then leave." Derek simply suggested. He wasn't the one who asked the boy to return daily like a stray dog begging for food.

"You can't tell me this is what you do all day," Stiles started, ignoring the invitation to leave. "Come on, today I'm going out and you're coming with me, I'll show you there's more to life than," he paused and narrowed his brows, "whatever it is you do. How is it that I've been here for three days straight and still don't really know what you do all day?"

"Stiles," Derek started.

"Seriously, I'm leaving. Even I have to drag your little werewolf a-" he stopped once he saw Derek's warning face. They both knew too well that Stiles would be the one who would end up being dragged if anything, and if he kept up his threats, his death bed would be the only place he'd be dragged to.

Derek continued to stare. He did that a lot. He didn't look like he was in the mood to go out, especially with Stiles.

"Please?" Stiles tried. He wanted to lower Derek's shield. He had to at least try. He hoped getting to know Derek better would only prove his wishes that he'd hate the guy. But part of him doubted that.

Derek sighed and rolled his eyes, "Fine." He headed for the door with Stiles following behind him. "I have my limits though," he warned. "I'm not going to the zoo to see my long lost brothers." He grinned to himself, feeling it appropriate considering he knew Stiles couldn't see his face. If he hadn't said it first he knew the boy would have.

Stiles laughed, mentally taking note on that one to use it in the future for teasing purposes.

The car ride was awkward. Derek was silent and kept his eyes trained to anything outside the car. like the lonely old man at the bus stop. And Stiles hadn't said a word even as he allowed his gaze to flutter towards Derek repeatedly.

Stiles had no idea where he was going. Sure, he knew where he was. He knew the streets of Beacon Hills like the back of his hand, but he wasn't sure where he was headed to. He figured a nice long car ride wouldn't be so bad while he worked on a destination.

Derek sighed into the silence. He knew Stiles had no idea where he was going. They've past the same old man waiting at the bus stop about three times already. They probably looked pretty suspicious too. "Where are we going?" Derek finally asked.

"Well," Stiles started, looking at the street signs. "Where would you like to go?"

Derek grumbled. Stiles couldn't have asked him this in the first place? Instead they've wasted their time circling the block. "There's a small diner down there," he tossed a finger to his right. "Lets just stop there."

Stiles quickly agreed and turned down the street.

The diner was quiet, as it always was. This part of town was never very lively. Soft oldies music played distantly in the speakers throughout the place providing a good background noise that was neither distracting nor overbearing. Few groups of customers ate quietly in the corners as their waitresses came by to check up on them.

The two shared a booth. Derek sat close to the isle where few people occasionally passed by and eyed their booth, and Stiles sat across from him on the far side with his back pressed against the window.

Derek wouldn't have felt so awkward if the waitress hadn't acted like they were a couple. When she came trotting to the table to hand Stiles his chocolate shake she was sure to include two bendy straws, one pointing towards each of them. She blushed and grinned happily even when Derek spun his straw towards Stiles as an implication that they wouldn't be sharing the drink. She hadn't gotten the hint by the time she carried out their fries either. The fries came stacked to one side of the basket to leave room for the big heart shaped splatter of ketchup. Stiles blushed this time and demolished the heart with one long sweep of a fry.

Even as she walked away she kept her big blue eyes on them. Behind the counter she giggled happily with a few of her coworkers as their eyes would glance to the table far too often. Derek lifted a brow and turned to Stiles who rambled about random topics.

"I've got an idea." Stiles said as he slid another fry into his mouth. "Twenty Questions. You game?"

"What?"

"Twenty Questions, don't tell me you haven't heard of it." Stiles began with a surprised face.

"No, no, I've heard of it." Derek nodded, "you want to play?"

"Yeah! Why not?" Stiles was now shoving a fry into his shake.

"Okay." Now was Derek's chance to really get some information on Stiles. He could ask anything. He could finally get to know all sides of the boy including the hidden sexy side, which he often wondered its existence. He could ask about the deep dark fantasies, the sexual desires, the unusual turn ons.

"I'll start." Stiles perked up. "How many bones have you hid in the yard?"

"Seventeen" Derek replied sarcastically. "My turn. Are you always so irritating?"

Stiles shrugged. "Yeah. Are you always such an ass?"

The game continued as they drove back to Derek's place. Most of the questions were played safely, things normally kids would ask. Few times a serious question would enter Derek's head and he'd bite his tongue and whisper that he's skipping his turn. Although the questions the two asked were pretty simple, they still found out a little bit about each other. Like that when Stiles was younger he wanted to be a super hero when he grew up. And that for a while being a doctor interested Derek. Like the fact that Derek was always pretty good at math in school and Stiles nearly failed in that area. They even covered that basketball was always Derek's favorite as a kid and Stiles used to play it.

Stiles laughed as he walked through the door of the loft behind Derek. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'd consider that one to be my most embarrassing moment." He huffed another laugh and the redness across his cheeks begun to fade.

"That is pretty horrible." Derek agreed with a grin. He moved to sit on the base of the spiral staircase and rested his elbows on his knees. "When was the last time you kissed someone?" He carefully asked. His voice was low and he halfway hoped Stiles hadn't heard him, but he had to ask. He knew he'd beat himself up with regret later.

Stiles raised a brow. It wasn't Derek's turn for a question, but that thought quickly left his mind and was replaced with the wondering thought of why Derek asked that question over anything. "It's been a while." Stiles said trying to think back to his last kiss. "Actually a really long time." A self pitied look crossed his face.

Derek's hands were on his forehead. Throughout the day he'd tried to keep Stiles from his mind. He tried to demolish the thoughts of holding the boy's flushed heated skin in his hands as he'd test the delicateness of its surface with the tip of his tongue. Tried to strangle the thoughts of grabbing tightly at his hips as he'd let his teeth nip at his protruding collarbones. All day he's tried to drain the images, but these past few minutes were proving to be the hardest of them all. Even more so now that he knew its been a long time since his last kiss. The skin on his lips would be fresh, unclaimed and wanting.

"Yeah, definitely a while." He mumbled as he finished his thoughts. His head turned towards Derek and his face grew concerned. "You alright?" He called, watching Derek curiously.

"Yeah."

"You sure? You look upse-"

"I'm fine, Stiles." Derek cut him off. "I think you should go." He suggested, not bothering to even look at the boy.

"What for?" Stiles asked.

His voice was low, "Just, please? You can come back later. Tomorrow. Just-" Derek nearly sounded as if he were begging.

"Alright." Stiles easily said, seeing that now was not the time to argue back. It wasn't often that Derek politely asked him to leave. Actually, this was the first time and that led him to believe he should seriously follow Derek's request.

Once Stiles left, Derek ran his fingers through his hair and pulled slightly, closing his eyes and lightly grumbling to himself. He couldn't control his emotions and he thought making Stiles leave would stop all of his conflicting thoughts. He was wrong. His heart and his brain still debated what each thought it wanted and it irritated him. He so badly wanted to sit beside the boy on the couch. To touch his hair and stroke his thigh and trace the curve of his jawline with the tips of his fingers. He so badly wanted to scream, "I hate you!" and tell him to never step near him again. He so badly wanted to scoop him up in his arms and grab his ass and feel the warmth of his breath on his neck. He so badly wanted to scream, "Hate me. Think I'm a monster and hate me!"

Again Stiles thought of Derek unintentionally. He told himself that he shouldn't go over anymore, that he shouldn't get closer or try to solve the giant puzzle of a man. He told himself that hated Derek and wished he didn't want to feel his five o'clock shadow on his cheeks. Wished he didn't want to trace the defined curves of his muscle with his tongue. Wished to god that he wouldn't have such thoughts.

The familiar half of Stiles' mind screamed at him to forget Derek even as he opened the door and let himself inside. He decided on ignoring those thoughts for a little while, at least until Scott came back home and everything would return to normal. While he was dedicating his time to Derek, the least he figured he could do was try to open the guy up. Get a peek at the personal side that was hidden behind lock and key. Maybe be able to view the flirtatious more relaxed side of Derek for his own personal pleasures, although he promised himself that he wouldn't grow fond of that side. Or any side for that matter.

Even when Stiles tried picturing the romantic side of Derek he knew it wouldn't only be his human half expressing the affection. Sure, he doubted that the wolfy things like the taking of ones muzzle in another's mouth would happen, but he knew that the werewolf side expressed its own unique showing of love somehow. That's when he remembered the term "marking" from previous researches.

"So Derek," he began. He wasn't sprawled out on the couch as he was previous days. Derek was on the couch when Stiles had arrived, and hasn't yet left, forcing Stiles to share the space. "Can other werewolves tell that Allison is Scott's? Just because she'll smell like him?" Using Scott as an example would prove to be the much stealthier way about finding his answers.

Derek seemed to be taken by surprise with the question, but answered without hesitation. "Well, they can smell the wolf on her. They'd be able to tell that the wolf scent isn't her own though. So it's a pretty good hint that she's taken by one."

Stiles nodded, taking a mental note. "But what if she showers or something? Won't his scent be gone?"

Derek rested his left foot on his right knee."It could be. It all depends. He could mark her. Claim her as his mate."

Stiles inwardly grinned. "How?"

"He'll bite her." He lifted a brow. "These are strange questions Sti-"

Stiles cut him off, he still had several questions and he was determined to get the answers. "Won't that turn her? Or kill her?"

Derek shook his head. "No. The bite isn't the same. It's an affectionate bite that marks her."

"And his scent stays if he bites her affectionately?"

Derek was quiet a moment. Once he began speaking again his voice vibrated throughout the room, making him realize how hollow and very quiet the room was without their voices. "Yes. His scent will flow through her. It'll be in her blood. Marking won't turn her, but she'll give off his scent all the time because its branded in her skin." He looked to Stiles who looked like he was piecing the whole process together in his head. "It is different from other affectionate bites though." He shifted in his seat. "There's affectionate bites, which some call, love bites and then there's the marking bite. Of course the marking bite is affectionate, but it's different."

Stiles nodded as he chewed his lower lip. "But it'll never leave? His scent?"

"The stronger the wolf the stronger the scent. But yes. His scent will enter her blood. Wolves mate for life you know."

"For life." Stiles repeated distantly, lost in thought.

"The wolf yes." Derek nodded. "Many werewolves do too, but not all. I've heard it's more likely that its an eternal love with two werewolves, versus a werewolf and a human, but it's all the werewolf's choice on whether or not they'll be together forever."

Stiles lifted a questioning brow. "Werewolf and human couples don't end well?"

"It can happen," He said. "The thing is, a werewolf marks to bind itself to its mate. It's mate would then bite back, binding them to each other. If a werewolf marks a human, the human can't mark back. Now some call it unbinded love. Meaning the love isn't eternal. It's more so of a label. It doesn't go to say that werewolves and humans can't work together."

Stiles was now very intrigued by the process. And though he tried to dismiss the thoughts, he couldn't help but to imagine Derek's scent in him. What it'd be like. "Does it hurt?"

Derek nodded. "To a human, probably a little bit." His mind flashed to Stiles. The boy's body quivering under his own as his teeth teased at the flesh. "I assume it'd feel pleasurable at the same time."

"Ripping of the skin sounds real pleasurable." Stiles tossed in sarcastically.

Derek turned his body towards Stiles. "It's like this, give me your hand."

"No! Are you insane, I don't want to get bit!"

"I won't break the skin, I promise." Derek said reassuringly. "If the skin isn't broken it won't mark you and it can't turn or kill you. I'll just show you how much pressure it'd be." He couldn't believe what he'd just offered. He couldn't let himself do that. He regretted the offer and hoped Stiles would still refuse.

"Fine."

Derek bit his tongue. Great.

Derek took Stiles' hand and brought it to his lips slowly before opening his mouth.

"No fangs, right?" Stiles asked anxiously.

"No fangs." Derek promised.

Derek pinched Stiles' skin between his teeth lightly. His skin smelled enticing. If there was one thing Derek learned about the smell of skin, it's that it's never the same. No one's skin smells alike and each is unique. Even more so to someone with the nose of a werewolf. The scent on Stiles' skin was everything that the boy was. His skin smelled full of energy. It smelled exciting and full of spunk with the hint of a soft spice. He smelled sweat and dirt, and wearing body wash. With a deeper inhale with his nose, Derek smelled a soft sweetness. Something tender and fragile. He bit harder with his teeth, pinching the skin and he felt Stiles cringe from the pinch. It took every ounce of his willpower to not lick the skin and sample the tangy spice. It took everything he had not to bite into the flesh to allow the sweet flavor to flow into his mouth. The pull to the boy's skin was stronger than he thought and he found it hard to pull himself away. He slowly let go of the skin and licked his lips. "That's how it'd feel on the outside."

"I'd fee-" Stiles began before correcting himself, "she'd feel something different on the inside?"

Derek shrugged. His heart jumped as he imagined Stiles experiencing the bite again. "So I've heard. I've never been bitten. I've heard the skin around the bite feels warm or sometimes rather hot. Like a burn almost. The heat travels to your heart then and I suppose your heart would feel a rush of some kind. I'm not sure."

Stiles stared at his wrist. The skin was pink and felt warm. He could see bright reflections on the wet spots that Derek left behind and he felt tempted to bring them to his lips. He felt his face warm up and he knew he was blushing. His took his thumb and brushed it past his wrist, slowly removing the traces of Derek. "Have you marked someone before?" He knew the answer would be a no, especially if what he said about mating for life were true, but maybe he could know of Derek's ever been close to marking someone. If he's ever been that intimate with someone.

He shook his head, "No."

"Would you consider marking someone?"

"It depends. It's a life decision, really. There are ways to unmark from someone, but still."

Stiles was quiet for another moment. "How do you know?"

"Know what?" Derek's eyes were trained to Stiles' wrist.

"If they're the one. How do you that's who you want to be with?"

Derek thought about it. "I guess you just know." He frowned. "You'll feel a pull towards them. One you can't resist no matter how hard you try."

Stiles hung on Derek's words. Why would you want to resist someone you'd think was your mate?

"You'll want to be with them all the time," Derek continued. "Even if you think they're not the one, even if you hope they're not the one, you'll know it's them." His voice hardened a bit. He knew he's felt a pull towards Stiles. On he's tried ignoring for some time. He knew he couldn't fight it no matter how hard he's tried. He should be able to fight it, he should be able to push it all aside because he's stronger than that. He's an alpha, a strong alpha, and it frustrated him that he couldn't even battle emotions. "They'll always be in the back of your mind." His nostrils flared as he inhaled, "You'll feel your heart beat pick up by the mere mention of their name or thought of them. They're just-" he stopped, frustrated with his explanation. He couldn't explain it, he couldn't figure it out "They're just always on your mind." He finished and stood from the couch. His fists were clenched and his breathing was deep. What kind of alpha was he if he couldn't even control his feelings. He didn't want feelings like this, especially about someone like Stiles. Showing emotions had gotten him trouble so many times and he was done with looking so weak. Showing emotions made him weak.

That night Stiles called Scott to check in. Scott rambled about the days alone with Allison and mentioned at least a dozen times how perfect it was.

"Hey Scott?" Stiles asked once his friend stopped for a breath. "Have you marked Allison?"

"What do you mean?" Scott asked, caught off guard by the question.

"Marked, you know, left your scent in her."

"In her? Do you mean did I put my-"

"No! Oh my god no!" Stiles shouted as he placed a hand to his forehead. "Have you bit her and you know, claimed her as your mate?" He regretted asking Scott at this point.

"I don't think so. I mean, I've nipped her, but I don't think I've claimed her, whatever that means, why?"

"I don't know." Stiles sighed. " I was just wondering, I guess. Do you think she could be your mate?"

"I'm sure she's the one. At least I'd like her to be. There's a big chance she's the one." Stiles could hear the wide grin in his voice.

"Well, how do you know? How can you tell if she's the one?" He told himself he should shut up and drop it all. It didn't matter anyways.

"Stiles, what's up? Are you okay?" Apparently the anxiety hinting at his voice was noticeable.

"Yeah, yeah. I've just been reading up on werewolves again. It's talking about mating for life, like the wolf. I just wondered if you'd know anything about it. Never mind though, don't worry about it." Stiles' voice drained to a mumble. "I'll talk to you later Scott, have a good time, okay?"

Stiles struggled to fall asleep. His mind was too focused on the whole marking thing. He lifted his arm and focused on his wrist. What would it feel like? How often does it happen to humans? Would it happen to him? Has it ever accidentally turned a human?

While he wasn't sleeping he decided to do some research. He sat on his bed with his computer placed in his lap. His face glowed bright as he lowered his eyes close to the screen. He found his way to dozens of websites where he found tons of information he'd already known, but there was however a few things he was looking for. "Werewolves have mates. They can bite and scratch each other while fighting and/or during sex without it meaning anything. But if a werewolf 'marks' the person they're with- bites the juncture between the shoulder and neck- that marks them as a mate. Once a werewolf has a mate they cannot reproduce with anyone but their mate and sex with anyone else isn't satisfying at all." He read aloud and then nodded with pursed lips. "Neat." He continued his reading. "Werewolves have a heightened sense of sexual desire." He grinned widely at this. "Derek, you dog." Continuing his research he also found, "Once a werewolf marks their mate they are presented to the pack as a mated couple. It is the equivalent of being married in the eyes of the pack."

"When a wolf marks their mate it is customary for the other wolf to mark them back as a way to accept their new status as a mated couple." Stiles lifted a brow. What if one had no fangs?

"So Derek," Stiles said the next morning as he paced casually in front of the couch. "I have another question."

"Is about Scott and Allison again?"

Stiles paused. "Yes."

"Stiles," Derek started. "I don't know. I'm done with the love questions."

"I just wanted to know-"

"Stiles! I said no!" Derek shouted. He wasn't looking at Stiles, he was faced the other way looking out the window.

Stiles narrowed his brows. He wasn't too fond of being spoken to that way. "You know, what's it going to take to get you to open up? Huh?" His eyes pierced Derek's back with a hard stare.

Derek felt the glare. He felt the tension raise in the room. He heard Stiles' heart beat thump with anger and he heard the blood pulse through his veins that protruded on his skin as he clenched his fists. But he didn't answer the boy.

"Why do you hate me? Is it because I'm just the human that knows to much? Do I get in your way?" Stiles waved his hands about to stress his attitude. He wanted to hate Derek and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't do it. He couldn't hate the stupid wolf. And he hated himself for it.

Derek continued to stare at the window. His brows were pinched together in anger and his jaw was clenched. He had his arms crossed and his hands were balled into hard fists. He inhaled deeply through his nose, flaring his nostrils.

"Huh, Derek?" Stiles asked again. His voice was stern, serious. Derek picked up the slightest crack in his voice, as if he were almost hurt or upset.

Derek didn't mind if he were hurt or upset. If anything he wanted the boy angrier. Angry to the point that he'd leave. He just needed him gone.

"Are you half Dalmatian now?" Stiles asked sarcastically, "You have selective hearing or something?"

"Fine!" Derek shouted. "Fine. Alright Stiles, what's your question. What on earth would you like to know?" He spun around to face the boy.

"It doesn't even matter any more." Stiles' voice wasn't as loud as it'd been but it was still unforgiving. "Why are you closed off? You're so, so-" He fumbled around for a word to describe Derek's attitude. "You're just such an ass! Unless its just me. I don't know." He thought if he knew Derek hated him that he'd feel good. He thought he'd have this feeling of relief. Like if Derek hated him then he could finally just move on and forget anything he's ever felt for the guy. Anything he felt now was far from relief. He felt like he'd just been shot in the chest as Derek shouted at him with such anger. "Maybe you just hate me because-"

Derek cut him off. He was done listening to the angered rambles streaming from Stiles' lips. "I don't hate you, Stiles!" He now moved his arms about, although not as dramatically as Stiles had done. "For crying out loud, I just want to hate you! I want to hate you. I want to dislike your presence, I want to not care about you!"

Stiles stared, dumbfounded by what he'd just heard. "What?"

"I've wanted to hate you for so damn long but you're just-" his voice was still raging and he looked furious. "You're just you!" He stepped towards Stiles. "You have no idea how hard it is to control myself around you. Every time you're near it takes all I have to control my emotions. A few times my feelings have almost won. It takes all I have to prove I'm stronger."

Stiles still couldn't come up with words to say. His mind slowly pieced together Derek's words, leaving him no time to come up with some of his own.

"I just wanted you gone. I just wanted you away from me before I lost against my emotions and did something I'd later regret." His voice softened. "Everything about you, from your stupid strands of uncontrolled hair to your goddamn moles. I just don't get it."

Stiles swallowed and noticed his throat growing dry.

"And then I got pissed off. You asked about marking and about werewolves finding their mates and how you'd know if they were the one. Every sign of a mate, every example I gave you, came from what I felt for you. The thinking about you constantly even if I didn't want to. My heartbeat picking up by the mention of your name. All of it."

Stiles had tons of words he wanted to say but all he said was, "But you wanted to fight it."

Derek nodded.

"Me too." Stiles nodded back. He stepped closer to Derek and they were nearly touching by now. "Yeah, me too. I told myself maybe being around you for these two weeks would make me realize that you are an ass and that I should hate you. You are an ass, but I can't seem to bring myself to the hating part. I've tried so damn hard. There's just something about you."

He paused and looked at Derek. He didn't look angry anymore. "Ahh, what the hell." He stepped in with one foot, placed his hands on Derek's shoulders and set his lips upon his in one swift movement.

Derek's lips felt firm at first, molded into a straight line from his previously gritted teeth and angry jaw from his now fading attitude. After coming in contact with Stiles' lips, his softened. As if the boy had the power to suck away every bit of control he had. He felt that were true. If he had any form of control right now he'd be pulling away and denying his feelings once again. He felt helpless but with that he felt relief.

He gave in and he grinned and placed a hand on Stiles' back, pulling the boy back in when he started to step away. Derek reconnected their lips and they lingered there a moment. He took Stiles' bottom lip into his mouth and pulled at it lightly, teasingly, with his teeth.

Stiles smiled around Derek's teeth and slipped his hand under the sleeve of his shirt to grip his bare shoulder. His brain was still a bit slow on piecing together what happened and what was happening now. He felt as if he whole thing were a dream. It didn't feel real, this couldn't possibly be happening right now, could it?

Derek's hands slid down the boys back and cupped over his hips. He rested his index fingers in the belt loops of his jeans. His fingers pulled slightly at the loops, making the pants slither down just enough to exposé Stiles' happy trail and the protruding tops of thin hip bones.

Stiles inhaled sharply through his nose and lifted himself on his toes to push his body against Derek's, molding their bodies into one. Derek's lips pulled gently at Stiles' playfully and Stiles was sure to return the action.

The sound of departing lips and a nearly unwilling groan from Stiles' mouth sounded throughout the room. "I'm sorry." Stiles apologized. "I'm sorry." He didn't leave room for Derek to answer. He didn't want any reasons said as to why he shouldn't be sorry, he didn't want any pleads to stay, he just wanted to get out of there.

Stiles lay in bed cursed by insomnia. He felt bad for storming out of the loft without a last look at Derek. He felt bad for slamming the door to his jeep. He felt bad for waking past his dad without a sound. He felt bad that he hadn't stayed in Derek's arms.

His mind still felt fuzzy when he tried remembering exactly what happened. One minute he was yelling and pissed off then the next he had himself plastered to Derek's face. Something he'd been trying to avoid. He hadn't realized how bad he'd wanted to kiss the guy.

The next afternoon when Stiles walked through the door they acted as if nothing had happened. Their relationship definitely progressed. Derek no longer glared from across the room trying his bite his tongue while avoiding having to speak with Stiles and Stiles no longer acted like it was a pain to be near Derek.

They both sat on the couch again, relatively close, when Derek broke the silence. "Ten"

"Huh? Ten?" Stiles repeated, confused.

"Yeah, ten. I think we were at question number ten. We never finished the game."

Stiles had almost forgotten about their game of 20 questions. He was actually surprised to find that Derek even remembered the game. "Alright, continue it then." He grinned.

Something about the grin told Derek that this half of the game should played on a more intense level. No more questions involving favorite colors or favorite ice cream flavors. "Where did you learn to kiss like that?" seemed to be a good question to start with.

Stiles laughed. "Oh man. Honestly, I think all credit goes to the Mary Jane on my Spider-Man poster."

Derek spit a laugh. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah! Where'd you learn to be so good then, huh?" He lifted a finger, "and by the way that counts as my question."

Derek flashed his teeth seductively. "I just happen to be naturally good."

Stiles rolled his eyes and snickered.

"You can't just steal my questions each time you know." Derek told him. "What turns you on?"

Derek's grin was surely turning him on. No one should have a smile so evilly alluring. "Lots of things. Probably lots of things that shouldn't." He hummed a thinking tune and pursed his lips. "Biting."

Derek raised a brow. "You like biting or being bit?"

"It's not your turn." Stiles reminded him. "Where's your hot spot?" He liked this half of the game much better than the previous one.

"My what?"

"Your hot spot? You know, the place that turns you on most if touched." He leaned closer. "Need examples?" And without waiting for an answer he proceeded a demonstration. "Example, if I brush my fingers under your jawline does it turn you on?" He slid his fingers along Derek's jaw. "Perhaps if I touched your chest? Maybe if I happened to lightly grip your thigh." His hand rested on Derek's knee, purposely avoiding his upper leg. "Mines just below my ear." He said almost proudly.

Derek's eyes moved to the spot under Stiles' ear, taking a mental note to hit that spot later on. "I'm sure if you slid your hand up a few inches I'd have to say my thigh."

Stiles grinned and removed his hand, placing it into his own lap.

"Okay, now really, biting or being bit?" Derek asked again, desperately awaiting an answer.

"Being bit." He admitted. "Although, I'm sure I'd be weary about teeth of a werewolf pressing into my flesh." He nodded and moved on to his next question. "Where's the most awkward public place that you've jerked off?" Stiles laughed. "And don't tell me you haven't."

Derek blushed as he thought back. "Dammit, I don't know? Maybe a convenient store? Or school?"

They laughed together.

They spent the rest of the day hanging out in the loft. Stiles would have never guessed Derek could've been so talkative. He didn't think he had it in him. He found himself liking it though. Derek had a ring to his voice that you could easily get lost in. He could listen to it for hours on end. Few times Stiles even closed his eyes to focus not on the words flying off of Derek's lips, but the sound they made. Lost in their invisible beauty.

When they weren't talking to each other Derek would read his book and Stiles would be sure to tease him about the cheesy romantic title. Stiles would also pace around the room, speaking at Derek but knowing the man was hardly paying attention due to his reading. He'd tell random stories or jokes or even complain to Derek that the fridge seriously lacked food. The only life in the room was the sound of the boy's voice bouncing off the surrounding walls in a faint echo.

Stiles sighed. "It's getting rather late, I should probably go." He nodded and fished his car keys from his pocket.

Derek stood. "Do you have to?" His grin was infectious.

Stiles found himself grinning back sympathetically. "I'm sure my dad won't be pleased to see me walking through the door after curfew. Again."

Stiles walked to the door followed by Derek. "I'll see you tomorrow then?" Derek asked sleepily.

Stiles turned to face the man, surprised to find how close he was. He wasn't nervous. Recently he'd found Derek's close presence to be almost comforting. He liked the way that if he was close enough he could feel the heat radiating off of his skin to warm his own. He looked into Derek's eyes, automatically sent into blissful ease by the way his eyelids drooped lazily. He mimicked the motion, letting his eyes droop as he pulled a simple grin. He loved Derek's tired look. Everything about it, from the relaxed eyes, big attempts at small grins, the slouched shoulders and especially the messy hair that fell to finally rest after standing strong all day. What he liked most about the tired look was that it proved Derek was more than anyone probably knew.

"Yeah," he answered in a whisper and slipped through the door.

Stiles bounced on his toes to his car, fiddling with his keys in his hands along the way. He gripped the key between his thumb and index finger as he always did, as he was taught. Holding it in preparation to use to shank someone if need be. He unlocked the car and slid inside, using one hand to grab his seat belt and the other to put the key into the ignition. The engine revved and soon fell silent. "Shit," he moaned as he tried turning the key again. Just as before, the car wouldn't stay running. The battery was dead.

Stiles walked back into the loft, not bothering to knock. "Derek?"

Derek made a mumbling noise as he sat up from his bed. "Yeah, Stiles?"

The only word that came to Stiles' mind to describe how Derek looked was delicious. "My car battery is, uh, dead." He rubbed his fingers in his hair.

Derek thought a moment. "You can stay here? I'll jump start it in the morning."

Stiles agreed and called his dad, informing him his battery died and he'd be staying at his friend's place. Mr. Stilinski didn't seem to mind and reminded him that he had jumper cables in the jeep.

Stiles took seat on the couch and removed his shoes. Derek took the blanket from his bed and handed it to Stiles.

Stiles looked up and took the blanket slowly. "This is yours," He said looking to Derek's bed, "won't you need it?"

Derek shook his head. "No. The perks of being a werewolf." He grinned sleepily again.

Stiles lay awake on the couch with Derek's blanket pulled over his whole body and tucked under his chin. He pulled his knees up, bringing them closer to his body to try to warm them. It didn't help much, the rest of him was just as cold. He brought the blanket to his nose, inhaling deeply. It smelled like Derek, as he figured it would. It was such a relaxing scent. "Derek," he whispered, "are you awake?"

Derek was silent a moment before answering, "Yeah?"

"I'm cold. Do you have another blanket?"

"No," Derek said with a yawn. "C'mere."

"Huh?" Stiles asked, making sure he'd just heard Derek right.

"Perks of being a werewolf, remember? My body heat?"

Stiles never thought to use Derek as a personal heater, but he liked the idea. He stood from the couch and and shuffled over to the bed, crawling over Derek and laying the blanket over both of their bodies.

Derek draped an arm over Stiles and inched closer, placing his chin on the boy's shoulder and resting a leg over his. He would've never done this before, but this was to save the kid from freezing! Although he knew it'd never become that drastic, that's the thought he'd be sticking with. "Better?" He whispered.

"Much." Stiles said thankfully. He felt awkward in Derek's arms at first but the heat felt nice. He soon relaxed his body and melted beside Derek.

"Your neck is cold." Derek stated. He moved his head so it was facing the boy's neck. Before letting Stiles answer he slowly moved his face in closer and closed his eyes. His lips lightly brushed Stiles' skin and he exhaled a warming breath from his nose. "So, so cold." He whispered lower. He kissed Stiles' neck. Paused. Kissed it again, then again and again.

Stiles tilted his neck and closed his eyes as he grabbed Derek's arm gently. His breath shook.

Derek's tongue now lapped at Stiles' neck, slowly and gently, before he lightly nipped the skin.

"Must you tease?" Stiles asked.

Derek's lips moved up his neck, curving to the back of Stiles' ear. He took the lobe in between his lips and whispered, "The spot behind your ear, right? That's what you said you liked? How's that for teasing?"

Stiles felt Derek's smile against his skin. Derek was right, it was that spot that he'd said he liked. Shivers were sent up his spine and he smiled. He felt the tongue trace a curved line on the spot and his whole body quivered excitedly.

The arm that Derek had draped over Stiles' body gripped the boy's upper arm and squeezed gently.

"What happened to you wanting to hate me?" Stiles asked.

"What happened to you wanting to hate me?" Derek repeated.

"Touché."

"Scott will come home tomorrow. Everything will return to normal and I'll go back to wanting to hate you, maybe. But tonight is going to be about wanting to love you."

Stiles smiled in the darkness. "I think I'd like that."

Derek propped himself up on his elbow and moved his hand from Stiles' arm to the curve of his jawline. He lowered his face until their lips brushed and he went in for a lingering kiss.

The moments dragged on. Derek moved very slowly and delicately, taking his time to explore and plant kissed along every inch of Stiles' cheek and neck.

Stiles lay with closed eyes and focused on the small huffs of warm breath escaping Derek's nose and mouth. It heated his skin, sped up his heart beat and aroused him greatly.

"I'm not so cold anymore," Stiles admitted.

Without an answer Derek slid his hand under the boys shirt and tugged it over his head. He sat up and lifted his own shirt from his body, tossing it to the floor with a hushed thud before moving so that he was on his knees, straddling Stiles' hips.

He lowered himself, reconnecting their lips once more and rubbing his hands along the boys shoulders and biceps. His grip was firm, nothing like the delicate touches from a moment ago.

Stiles lay under Derek almost frozen in place. He let the kisses mark his face and chin with his eyes closed. He sucked in air, his chest rising high enough to barely bump Derek's, the realization that his his nipple brushed Derek's bare skin warmed his cheeks. With that, he also realized that his hands were doing nothing, just flat at his sides gripping the sheets. He moved his arms, shoulders still pinned under Derek's weight, and reached his long thin fingers towards Derek's belt. He unbuckled the belt and pulled it towards him as it slowly as it slithered through each belt loop of the jeans. The belt was tossed to the floor, landing atop the discarded shirts.

Stiles hooked his fingers in the front loops of Derek's jeans and pulled on them as he arched his hips upwards. His hips didn't go high due to the fact that they were being sat on, but it allowed him to grind his hardened member on Derek's, which he felt was hard too.

Derek moaned into Stiles' mouth and sucked hard on his lower lip. Stiles whimpered and clenched his muscles, arching his hips upward again, faster this time, clashing their hips together. His fingers fumbled at the button and zipper of the jeans and tugged them downward with another movement of his hips.

At this point Derek abruptly loosened grip on the boys arms and lowered them to tug at his jeans now. Slow and incredibly romantic was not the way Derek moved now, he moved like he wanted to devour his prey laying defenselessly beneath him. He'd gotten Stiles' pants undone and tugged them downward so they rested just under his hip bones. Like a hawk swooping to claim it's prey, his head dipped down quickly towards Stiles' chest.

Derek's lips moved frantically over Stiles' skin, down his torso, planting messy kisses at the belly and the protruding hip bones.

Stiles shuddered and threw his head back when he felt Derek's lips trail along his member that was straining underneath his boxers. He made a whimpering noise and tugged hard on the belt loops that his fingers were still wrapped around.

Derek used his thumbs that were gripping Stiles' hips to tug down the fabric. He placed a few more sloppy kisses along the boy's shaft before having his tongue take its place.

Derek crawled off of Stiles and removed his pants and Stiles did the same.

Stiles allowed Derek to crawl on top of him once more. The bare skin of Derek's thigh brushed his and his stomach jumped excitedly. Derek lifted Stiles' thighs and hooked them over his hips as he slid inside him.

Stiles cringed in pain and bit his lower lip. He couldn't believe he'd gone this far. He'd started off avoiding Derek at all costs and now he was pinned beneath him. Surely he'd try to convince himself later that he regretted it, but who was he kidding, he knew he wouldn't. His thoughts were interrupted as another sharp pain flew through him with the thrust of Derek's hips.

Stiles' hand gripped Derek's arm, his nails digging deeper and deeper into the skin with each thrust. His other hand found its way to his own member, which he stroked to the pace of Derek's movements.

Derek lowered himself closer and Stiles' busy hand brushed against his belly repeatedly. Stiles threw his head back and clenched his eyes shut as his breath hitched, reaching his climax.

Another quick pound of Derek's hips sent Stiles over the edge. He released himself and cum shot up Derek's bare chest as well as his own. His chest heaved quickly and he tried to catch his breath. Derek slid out and fell on his back to rest beside Stiles, his chest rising and falling at the same pace.

They didn't say anything for a while, nothing was to be said. They lay together with their chests rising and falling, the only thing to be focused on was the sound of one another's breathing. Stiles' mind traveled back to what Derek said about marking. He figured now was the best time to ask any more questions. "Based on feeling, how similar is a love bite and a marking bite?" His voice was low.

Derek pulled a confused face, hit with the odd questions for a second time. "Pretty similar, I guess. The marking bite will have an internal feeling though as well as an external one." He reminded him.

"Is there a way to show me? Without marking me?"

Derek smiled at Stiles' curiosity. "I can show you a mock bite."

Stiles turned his head and looked Derek in the eye, giving him an OK.

"Here's a love bite," Derek said. He turned and straddled Stiles' legs again, lowering his torso down upon the boy's. he lowered his mouth to the curve of his neck, just above the collar bone. A quick kiss was planted before he opened his mouth and clamped it over the skin, biting down with his teeth.

Stiles tried not to flinch at the pinching sensation at his neck. And that's all he felt, a pinch with a bit of a sting, but it felt loving, wanting.

Derek released his grip and raised his head. "Now here's a mock marking bite." He closed his eyes and hesitantly lowered his head. He'd never marked before, let alone a mock one, he'd need to focus on not marking the boy by accident.

Stiles felt Derek's teeth grip his skin again and managed to hold still, expecting the pinch. He did feel the pinch, then the stinging and then he felt a numbing. He could no longer feel the sharp points of Derek's teeth, and for a moment he'd thought Derek had let go. The numbness partially remained but a new feeling slowly grew over it. His skin felt warm, which turned into hot, which turned into a burning feel. The burn felt good, though, relaxing. He wanted more of it. His hands pressed into the back of Derek's head, bringing him as close as possible. The burn moved its way along his skin, leaving the area of the bite, traveling through his veins like a wild fire. Stiles could feel it, actually feel it, crawl down his chest and hit his heart, making his heart beat skip and then rise greatly. His chest heaved again and Derek let go.

Stiles struggled a moment to catch his breath and Derek grew worried. "Stiles! Are you alright?"

Stiles nodded. "Yeah, just peachy."

"Well," Derek said. "Now you felt it."

Stiles narrowed a brow. "Did you mark me?"

Derek shook his head. "No. At least I don't think so. I don't feel that heart connection." He then quickly added, "Not any more than I normally do anyways."

Stiles smiled. He half way sat and pushed Derek off of him and crawled on him instead. He sank his teeth into the fleshy spot just above the collar bone, marking him in a way that didn't technically count. He knew it wasn't a mark, but he knew he'd count it, and knew Derek would too.

The next morning, Stiles woke to his head on Derek's chest and his arm draped over his shoulder. He realized then that his clothes were still missing from his body, as well as Derek's. he leaned across Derek, as slowly and quietly as he could and extended his fingers to his balled up shirt in the floor.

"You're awake," Derek stated.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" Stiles asked, grabbing his shirt and sitting to put it on.

"No," Derek said. "You're fine."

Stiles heard a muffled vibration and leaned over Derek to find his pants, fishing his phone from the pocket. "Hello? Yeah, man, glad you're back. I'll be right over. You too." And he hung up. His stood from the bed to dress himself. "That was Scott, he's back home."

"Good." Derek smiled to Stiles and winked.

Stiles pulled a face that'd read "HA HA" and started towards the door. "Come help with the car."

Derek jump started the car and stopped Stiles before he got inside. "Guess this is goodbye, then? For now. Until we get caught up in more disastrous life threatening situations?" His smile looked forced.

Stiles grinned back. "No, Derek. I'll see you tomorrow."


End file.
